


Strength for a journey

by Beaniesquad



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes
Genre: Being Supportive, Female Summoner | Eclat | Kiran, Friendship, Olivia and Azama appear for a moment, Teaching, a bit of blood mentioned, awkward start, pretty bland FF tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-03 03:16:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16318082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beaniesquad/pseuds/Beaniesquad
Summary: After a rather bad start, Kiran manages to befriend Zelgius.





	1. Arriving in askr

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my very first fanfiction, please lower your standards for a moment! SFW, sit back and relax.

Kiran is in nothingness. How did she even get here? Weakly, she reaches out into the light as white and golden robes appear on her body. A strange portal opens up by her palm. Through it, a beautiful world can be seen; there’s so much untouched nature and a majestic castle. But it appears that this world is haunted by war. As a red haired girl struggles against an enemy, Kiran feels the need to act. She moves through the portal and stepped into the strange world.

“Oooh! You’re here? The ritual worked? Ahem…“ the sweet girl says awkwardly, “Oh Great Hero from another world! Thou hast come so far to fulfill your role in your legend!“  
“Excuse me what?“ Kiran asks worried as the enemy approaches. „Where am I? How did I get here?“  
“FOUND YOU!“ shouts the foe.  
When the axe fighter attacks, the redhead jumps in front of the new summoner and slays him with ease. After introducing herself as Anna, she explains that this world is called Askr, and that Kiran is their only hope to bring peace back. She decides to fight by the kingdoms side, even though she only agreed because she has no better option now. She does have a home, after all.

 

Kiran gets to know the other members of the Order of Heroes; prince Alfonse and princess Sharena, who both are very lovely people. After the siblings showed her around the castle and explained the role of the Summoner, she is sent to her own room to rest. It‘s a very humble room, but it has everything she needs to live. Kiran drops her body onto the bed and lets out a loud sigh as she bounces on the mattress. Right now, she finally has some time to think about the situation.  
What happened to her? To her family? Her friends? Kiran cannot recall her last memory before coming to Askr, so she prepares for the worst. Little time passes until she falls asleep in the warm and cosy bed.

 

Several days pass as she gets used to the life as a tactician in Askr. She works on strategies, earns goods, spends resources, keeps everyone’s spirit up and much more. The part that seems the most interesting though is summoning heroes.  
The lovely owl Feh brought a message that new heroes would appear today, so Kiran walks to the summoning shrine to try her luck.  
She loads Breidablik with her hardly earned orbs and shoots forward with high hopes.

Thick fog appears and blocks her sight, but she walks forward carefully. After a few steps, Kiran finds something lying on the ground; it‘s a black and badly damaged helmet. The result of a very violent fight. When she looks back up, a huge figure stands in front of her. She gasps in shock at the man’s sudden appearance.

Pitch black armor, bloody, and staring through her. „H-Healers? Healers! Quick!! He’s wounded!“ she shouts as the man falls on his knees. Kiran tries grabbing his left arm since the right one leans onto a big sword.  
„Don’t worry, we will fix you up.”

 

After the man’s wounds were healed one by one by the gifted Staff users, he fell into a deep slumber. Nobody ever got to Askr with such injuries. Kiran describes the mysterious man to many of her summoned heroes for advice, but only receives alarming information.  
He is General Zelgius, also known as the Black Knight: A cruel murderer thirsty for bloody combat.

 

Late at night, Zelgius finally wakes up. Did he really survive this fateful fight? It was supposed to be a battle with only one survivor, and Ike sure did not die on that day. He feels very weak and looks at his swollen palms after running his fingers through his hair, and then notices that his body is dressed in unknown clothes. He breathes out heavily when he stands up to stumble towards the window to catch some cool air. The skies are clear, and everything feels so relaxing. There is no way this place could be Tellius.

When Zelgius hears fast steps in the hallway, he takes the chance to leave the room and ask for answers. Outside, he finds a pink haired girl who jumps after spotting the tall man. „EEEP! Y-you’re awake, let me get Kiran!“ the lady stutters and runs away quickly.  
“KIRAN! Kiran, t-the man woke up! The one who came here injured!” shouts Olivia after bursting into Kirans room. The summoner quickly shuts a book and puts on her white cloak.  
“Really? Thanks for telling me, Olivia, I’ll go see him!”  
She runs down the hallway as fast as she can and spots Zelgius standing motionless in front of his room. „Sir! You’re awake!“ she calls out, but the man seems rather confused. “May I know what this place is?”  
Kirans eyes widen at the question. Usually, the heroes she summons know their situation and know of the contract. Maybe his consciousness was too weak when he was brought to Askr. What if he thinks Kiran is an enemy? „P-Please, let’s go back into your room. I will give you all the answers I can offer, I promise“. Kiran taps his arm nervously, rather to his displeasure. She regrets it immediately.  
There, she anxiously explains everything; from Askr’s war, to the contract, to the very day he was summoned. He doesn’t question anything and just listens to her like she is only telling a story.

“…Very well, I shall assist you in this war. We will see for how long.“  
“Thank you so much, Sir. I will also make sure you will be able to fight opponents worthy of your efforts“. The man looks at Kiran awkwardly, who is surprised at the man’s calm temper. He doesn’t seem so brutal now. …At least to his allies.  
“…It’s fine. Also, please call me Zelgius.“  
“Oh! Alright, if you’re ok with it,“ she comments, slowly warming up to him.  
Kiran trusts people way too easily; others keep pointing it out as a weakness, but she is too reckless to care. „People are very nice here, too. Please make sure not to get into fights with anyone, you can make some valuable comrades and friends here“.  
He looks at her feeling judged, but agrees.  
“I’ll be going to sleep now, it’s very late. Do you think you can fall asleep once more?“ the summoner asks as she yawns and stretches her body.  
“I doubt that. But I shall stay in this room until dawn, if that’s what you expect me to do.“  
“That would be great. The healers will check after you in the morning, too. Good night!“, she says and leaves the room quickly.

 

Thinking about Zelgius keeps Kiran awake for a while. He has such a menacing aura around him and yet she doesn’t feel threatened at all. In contrary- she feels very save, since he was so respectful. Maybe she too should treat him more nicely. It is obvious that his presence will have an impact on her life here now.


	2. Not a monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Durning training and walks, Kiran and Zelgius get the chance to bond.

Kiran is quite tired when she wakes up in the morning. Maybe working late into the night was not the best idea.  
As planed she walks towards Zelgius’ room and knocks on the door, but no one answers. “Looking for the giant? Then you missed him,” Azama says when he walks past her. He only shrugs when asked where to search. Being the worried mess that she is, Kiran begins to run through the castle.  
After looking all over the place, she finally finds him on the training grounds. But Zelguis is not alone: Hector is sparring with him. “Here you are!” she calls out as she tries to catch her breath.

“My apologies for worrying you,” he excuses when their training session is interrupted. “Such early hours are good for exercise.”  
“Hah! Zelgius is a tough one, don’t you worry about him,” comments Hector excited. “Wanna spar with us? Come on!”  
“I’ll pass, thanks. You two have fun,” Kiran declines relieved and sits down on the ground for a moment to watch them train together, peacefully. No sign of serious rivalry or hatred can be seen in their eyes, it’s just two big guys who want to be even stronger. She’s very proud of Zelgius for having made a friend; that sure happened faster than she expected.

 

The next few days remained quiet and free of war, and so the two tough soldiers continued sparring in the mornings and Kiran couldn’t help but watch them fight from time to time. Today though, Hector is nowhere to be seen. “Morning, Zelgius. No training with Hector today?”  
“Unfortunately no. He has business to attend to,” he explains while looking at the sword in his hand. “…Do you wish to train? I would be pleased to spar with you, since your defenses are lacking.”  
Now he holds the sword towards the summoner with motivation. Everyone knows she isn’t much of a fighter, while the other tacticians can wield at least one weapon. And honestly, who doesn’t want to be prepared for battle? But the thought of sparring with such a strong man is a little intimidating. Kiran can imagine what he is capable of. But he wouldn’t hurt her, right? Hector too is in top shape and they’re allies now, after all.  
She takes off her white coat and grabs the sword.

Realizing she knows absolutely nothing about combat, Zelguis even teaches Kiran the most basic things like correct posture and swinging techniques. He is such a patient man and doesn’t get angry when she does something wrong, though he does speak like a strict teacher. Him occasionally correcting her pose with his hands also doesn’t make her feel uncomfortable at all. He does it in such a professional and serious way, so Kiran really feels like she’s learning something with him.  
After they even attack each other for a short while (and he definitely went easy on the summoner), they go back into the castle to eat breakfast.  
“Thank you so much for training with me. I appreciate your time and patience,” chuckles Kiran while wiping sweat off her forehead, even though she would never admit how much she actually dislikes physical activities. “Ask me, should you wish to spar again,” Zelgius offers kindly. He doesn’t seem out of breath at all; in contrary.  
Kiran can’t help feeling proud of herself though, even if training once is just a humble achievement.

Only now on a table with breakfast in front of her, Kiran notices how hungry and exhausted she really is and stuffs her mouth with food. “Now now, Summoner, Take it slow or you might choke!” laughs Azama, who is sitting next to her and hands over a glass of water when Kiran tries hold back a giggle. Today, she feels absolutely unstoppable and even Zelgius seems satisfied with the successful training and her great mood.  
At this point, all doubt she had about him is gone and the two share mutual respect.

 

Days pass one by one quickly and working for the Order of Heroes becomes a routine. Kiran can often hear slow footsteps behind her while she walks from one meeting to another, when a certain general sees the necessity to protect her. This usually happens when it has been peaceful in the castle for too long, but she’s still never afraid of threads since no harm has been done to anyone yet.

  
Today is an exceptional beautiful day, so the summoner decides to go into the nearby forest to explore the area after being done with her duties.  
“Allow me come with you for your safety, Kiran.“  
“Of course! And for friendly company, too,“ she says and smiles as Zelgius follows her.

“…You didn’t need to put on your whole armor set, we’ll be fine here,“ Kiran chuckles and taps the armor on his arm, even though he is still not very fond of the summoner’s touchy nature.  
“I have experienced danger even in the most peaceful moments already. I will not risk your life by being unprepared,“ Zelgius explains while keeping a sharp eye on his environment. „An allied ninja is following us.“  
“Saizo is always around to watch over me,“ Kiran praises confidently. „He will keep us safe.“ Zelgius frowns a little at that last sentence.

On their walk, the summoner spots mushrooms and tells stories about how she often used to collect mushrooms with her grandmother during autumns to make soup out of them. Feeling so nostalgic makes her long for her beloved home. He too mentions cooking mushrooms he found when his army was on long marches back in the days. Kiran is surprised at the addition, but it’s a welcomed surprise. It’s obvious that Zelgius is rather awkward and has quite some trouble holding a normal conversation, but he’s really trying.

  
After some more steps, they hear water flowing in the near distance. “Do you hear that? Let’s go check it out!“ Kiran cheers and runs forward. “Please stay near me, Kiran,“ Zelgius insists while he picks up the pace.  
They arrive at a truly beautiful lake with a small waterfall in the back. Kiran drops her body to lie on the grass and watches the sky while listening to the gentle waterfall. “Join me, relax,” Kiran offers to Zelgius, who merely sits down next to her.

  
“…Honestly, I don’t like such quiet moments,” she admits unhappily after a moment of silence. “It gives me too much time to think about everything. When I will go back home, or whether I will go back at all. It feels like I’ve been here since forever. …And as much as I feel welcomed, I somehow still feel like an outsider. There is no one else from my world who could truly understand me.” She rolls over on her stomach and presses the hood down to hide her face. “I’m all alone now…”  
“No, you are not, Kiran. You have countless loyal soldiers. Many of whom look up to you, and many of whom see you as a friend,” Zelgius explains and stands up again. “…See it as a journey. We all face one in our lives sooner or later, whether we like it or not.”  
A journey? Starting back at zero with no end in sight? How could Kiran possibly go on such an adventure on her own?  
“…Will you help me through this journey?” she asks while slowly lifting her head. Zelgius suddenly offers his hand to help Kiran get up.  
“I will keep your path clear,” he vows determined before they walk back to the castle, their new home; for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So guys, we did it, the second chapter is finished! For real though, thanks to anyone who read this cheap stuff. I hope you don't consider it a waste of time.


End file.
